MLB Player News

McDougal (forearm) has struck out five and allowed one hit and four walks over five scoreless relief innings since being reinstated from Triple-A Charlotte's 7-day injured list July 7.

Before hitting the shelf April 30 due to a right forearm flexor strain, all six of McDougal's appearances for Charlotte had come in the rotation. The White Sox could revisit developing the 23-year-old as a starter down the road, but in the short term he's being positioned to potentially join the big-league bullpen for the stretch run. The lanky right-hander has looked overpowering since moving to relief despite his control issues, and he'll likely need to show some improvement on that front before gaining any major momentum for a promotion.

Thorpe (elbow/appendectomy) struck out three and allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings Saturday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

Thorpe's appearance was his first at any level since July 31, 2024, as he had his rookie campaign cut short by a bone spur in his elbow before he had his entire 2025 season wiped out after Tommy John surgery last April. He then had his rehab program slowed down in May, when he required an emergency appendectomy. The right-hander delivered solid results to begin his rehab stint, but he's still be in line for an extended assignment. Whether there's a rotation spot available for Thorpe once he's built up could depend on how aggressive the playoff-contending White Sox are at the trade deadline.

Jones started in left field and went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Rays.

Jones made his first start since being acquired from the Tigers and took Ian Seymour deep in the second inning to wipe out an early Tampa Bay lead. That was his lone plate appearance, as Jarren Duran pinch hit for him in the fourth inning, when the Rays replaced Seymour with right-hander Kevin Kelly. Jones has a career .478 OPS against righties, but a .757 mark against southpaws.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-1 win over San Diego.

Perez sent an elevated fastball from Matt Waldron over the center-field fence to extend Kansas City's lead in the sixth inning. It marked the veteran's second homer of July, and he's hitting .286 with an .864 OPS, nine RBI and four runs scored across 11 games this month. Overall, Perez is slashing .211/.253/.351 with 12 homers, 39 RBI and 33 runs scored across 91 contests this season.

Thomas went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Padres.

Thomas crushed a hanging breaking ball from Griffin Canning for a two-run homer to kick off the scoring in the first inning. The outfielder has gone yard in back-to-back games coming out of the All-Star break and has been hot in July, slashing .340/.400/.740 with four homers, 11 RBI and nine runs across 13 contests. Thomas' season marks sit at .243/.342/.423 with nine homers, 34 RBI, 29 runs and four stolen bases over 84 games.

McGonigle went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Angels.

Like he did throughout the first half of the season, McGonigle served as an effective offensive catalyst for the Tigers. The rookie infielder now has a .389 OBP, which is good for ninth in the majors. McGonigle also has 60 walks versus only 59 strikeouts through 95 games, and his good eye at the plate along with his strong contact skills should make the 21-year-old a fairly reliable fantasy option the rest of the way.

Manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Perez (forearm) is likely to return from the 15-day injured list during Atlanta's four-game home series with San Diego that begins Monday, MLB.com reports.

The lefty appears most likely to slot back into the rotation Wednesday, which would afford ace Chris Sale an extra day of rest. Perez has been on the shelf since July 6 due to a left forearm contusion, but he's made good progress in his recovery and doesn't look like he'll require a rehab assignment. The 35-year-old doesn't miss many bats (18.6 K%, 22 percent whiff rate), but he's been able to maintain a 3.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 81.1 innings by generating groundballs at a healthy 47.7 percent clip.

Cortes went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a hit by pitch in Saturday's 15-1 win over the Nationals.

Cortes ripped an RBI double in the first inning before adding a solo homer in the seventh frame as part of the Athletics' offensive explosion. After a dreadful June at the plate, the outfielder has gone 10-for-28 (.357) with four extra-base hits (one homer), three RBI and five runs across nine games in July. Overall, Cortes is slashing .283/.360/.448 with seven homers, 25 RBI, 22 runs and a stolen base across 75 contests in 2026.

The Pirates optioned Curtis to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

The right-hander received his first promotion to the big leagues Saturday and made his MLB debut in the second game of a doubleheader in Cleveland with five scoreless innings of bulk relief. Curtis should have a better chance of returning to the majors later this summer now that he's on the 40-man roster, though his 4.96 ERA in 18 appearances between the Double-A and Triple-A levels could be a limiting factor, even after his strong performance Saturday.

Ritchie was credited with his second hold of the season in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rangers after striking out a batter and allowing one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning of relief.

Ritchie helped cover for the demoted Hurston Waldrep last Sunday, with Atlanta deploying him for 4.1 innings of bulk relief in a 4-3 win over St. Louis. Rather than opening the second half with Ritchie as the fifth starter, Atlanta instead handed Owen Murphy his first MLB start Saturday before Atlanta manager Walt Weiss leaned on Ritchie and six other relievers to finish out the contest. Atlanta optioned Murphy to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, but Ritchie appears likely to stick in the bullpen for the time being with Martin Perez (forearm) expected to return from the injured list during the upcoming week.